The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-05-26
IN THE FLOWERY LAND.
Strange People and Things Seen in the
City of st. Augustine.
BY EsTELLE vEHsE.

oak, olive, pomegranate, orange ana
date trees Impart to the little city
great beauty. They stand thick
along the narrow streets, shading
them densely, their bloom and
bright verdure charming and their
perfume coming to you like fra
grant benediction after weary
travel. OF the old wall that once en-
closed the city, only fragments
remain. The square towers of the
gateway with sentry boxes, loop
holes and traces where the gate vas
attached to the towers still remain
to attract the stranger. The city
was once fortified with"bastions and
half bastions," and ditch along
which now grow the grand palmet-
tos. Settled by the Spaniards and
Minorcans, who had their peculiar
ideas, the streets were made narrow
and beautifully shelled and no We
hicle was allowed to pass over them.
The houses are built of the famous
coquina-a substance of shell and
sa nd formed by the action OF salt
water. Most of the dwellings have
hanging balconies and approach so
near over the narrow streets some
of them only seven feet wide-that
you can almost shake hands across
them with your neighbor.
The invasion of the stranger
brought new ways and ideas. We
hicles now drive through the streets
and the beautiful shells have been
ground to powder, leaving sand in
their place. The sound of the ham
mer is heard all around and fantas-
tic architecture sprlnging up like
magic-the sleep of centuries break
ing up and q new order OF things
taking the old place by surprise
Many OF the old coquina dwellings
are still to be seen covered with
trailing vines and brilliant flowers
"a vision of beauty" to be seen on
ly in this ancient Spanish city. The
flower gardens attached to most o
the old homes are tangled bits o
paradise, so grand and profuse are
the blooms that cluster in them
Rose trees grow in perfection; OTTER
| fifteen feet high, covered with i'm
mense roses of the most exquisite
shades and richest perfumes. The
Ponce de Leon.of Moorish architec
5ure, costing two millions and {
half, is to have flower garden anC
orange trees on tue roof. The PIaz'
is a place of great resort. 1t ha
It's beautiful trees, rustic seats, ;
soft green carpet OF Bermuda grass
and fountain of sulphur waite
with cups to Stake your thirst. Th'
old slave market is in the Plaz;
and ELECTS much attention ant
many remarks from the northern
tourist. To them it is Medusa'
| head with writhing snakes, wher,
shameless inhuman traffic" wa
carried on. There are also twt
monuments, one to the memory 0
The confederates-"Our Dead -
erected by the southern women t.
the soldiers of the city who fell il
The civil strife. The other is to th'
memory Of the spanish Liberia
| Constitution" Just on the cas-
side of the Plaza is the old Catho
tic cathedral built in 1914. Il
the belfry there is chime of fou
bells that have their legend. A sill
yer lamp kept constantly burnin!
hangs near the altar. On the RICH
as you enter hangs a picture repre-
senting the first mass on the land
ing of the Spaniards in 1865. Oh
the left there is an old crucif1
brought from Spain. just facinI
you are the contessionaIs, grim ant
gloomy,where the innermost secret
of the soul must be laid bare to an
other human being-its bitterness
its Joys, it's terrors, its heartaChes
and its disappointment. 1t seem
i'm possible that this could be-tha
that dynamic investiture whicl
surrounds the life-hood of ever,
soul could be laid bare, save to til
Power that created US in His owl
image. Such were the thought
that had thrown their spell arount
me in the old church on Palm Sun
day and during the service; when a
this point of my reverie the elbo'
Of Miss s. touched me, an
turning to her she motiOned he
head towards the lady in front 0
us. There to my horror | say
what l took to be a scorpion nest
ling among her laces, and my frs
thought was to escape from it
neighborhood. Soon it locke
over her shoulder with lifted hea'
as if preparing to Ieapi I know no
how | got away and out throug
the great crowd that surged in tn
; aisles and doorway. When l dre'
breath my friend was by my side
: Did you tell her of the scorpion?
mo. | had to run to keep fror
screaming out in church, W
crossed the Plaza and went to tn
Episcopal church.
My mind wandered away fror
the services to the unfortunate lad
sitting so calmly under such dan
gerous circumstances. l felt too
, that l had violated the golden rul
, and must bear the lashings of cor
! science.
, In the morning when the su
r came up in glory and swept ava
the shadows we were on board
yacht bound to the ruins of Matan
{ zas Fort on the north beach. Their
e sits the lady, and to my consterna
/ ton the serpent nesting on her be
t som! The sun shone down upo
S her and | saw a gold cham aroun
its neck and secured to her broac
only a chameleon, and nothin
: more. This fact, however, did no
p exalt her in my esteem nor Great
o a desire for closer neighborshil
Y She was rot the only cranky woma
t | met in the city by the sea. Their
: was another with q huge Hondura
bug of many shades harnessed u
in gold, diamonds and rubies
the amount of 5000. Some one {
e the party said, "Why do you ives
r the nasty thingW Mrs. Clevelan
e wears one.n was her reply, B